Police said a Kohl's employee recognized Prout from a surveillance photo from last week showing him leaving the store with stolen merchandise.

The employee also recognized another man who was with Prout as being someone involved with a theft at the store last year, police said.

Police have identified the second man as Christopher Roffo, 43, who has a long history of larceny in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, Detective Jay Ball said Tuesday.

Roffo, who is originally from the Providence, R.I., area, was not arrested with Prout Monday afternoon, but Ball said a warrant has been issued for his arrest. Ball said he was unsure of the merchandise, if any, stolen by Roffo.

Ball said police are trying to determine if the men are part of an organized theft ring.

Police from other towns have told Milford Police that the two men may be selling the stolen merchandise somewhere in Rhode Island, Ball said.

Once the men were spotted in the store, the Kohl's employee called police in case Prout and Roffo stole anything, he said.

When Prout left the store with a shopping cart of stolen merchandise, the employee pointed him out to the officer, according to police reports.

After spotting the officer, Prout left the shopping cart in the parking lot and returned to the store. The officer followed Prout into the store, ordering him to stop and telling him he was under arrest.

Prout ran through the store to another exit, pushing two young female customers out of his way.

As the officer chased Prout on foot, Prout ran across the store's parking lot and jumped a chain link fence into property near Birch Street.

Fire Chief John Touhey told police he saw Prout leave the woods behind Kohl's and run across Birch Street into a parking lot owned by Verizon. Prout surrendered to police after being ordered out of the woods next to the Verizon parking lot.

Ball said a white Ford Explorer used by Prout was found parked on the side of the Kohl's building. Inside the car was a "booster bag," or a foil-lined bag, which allows shoplifters to walk through security systems with stolen merchandise and not set off the alarm.

The car was registered to a woman from Taunton, Ball said. Police are currently investigating whether she was involved.

Prout, of 507 Flint Ave., Apt. 1, Fall River, was charged with larceny over $250 and resisting arrest. He was also arrested on two out-of-town warrants for driving under the influence and shoplifting, Ball said.

Page 2 of 2 - Prout was denied bail, police said, and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday in Milford District Court.